How To Change The Colors Of Your Apps On iOS

We spend hours on our phones every single day. And yet, weirdly enough, a lot of us never even consider changing the looks of the app icons that rule so much of our lives. Color is key to identity and style, so why not change the colors of your iOS apps? 

To learn how to change the colors of your apps on iOS (Apple smartphones and tablets), just follow our step-by-step tutorial below. For all other information, or if you have further questions, please see our FAQ section at the end of this article.

Note: You must have the most up-to-date OS installed.

How to change the colors of your iOS apps

1. On your iOS device, open up the Shortcut app
2. Once you’ve opened the Shortcut app, tap the PLUS (+) in the top-right corner
3. Once on the ‘New Shortcut’ window, select ‘Add Action’
4. Using the search bar, find the ‘Open app’ action and tap on it
5. Back on the ‘New Shortcut’ window which you’re scripting, tap ‘Choose’ to select the app you’re creating a new homescreen shortcut for
6. On the ‘Choose App’ window, scroll through to locate the app whose color and icon you wish to allter. For example: ‘Camera’
7. Back on the ‘New Shortcut’ window, you’ll see the name of the app you’ve chosen appear where the ‘Choose’ option appeared before. Tap the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
8. Here, on the ‘Details’ page, you can choose whether to change the name of the app or not, as well as the app icon glyph, and app color
   1. To change the name of the app shortcut, tap on it and edit it with your phone’s keyboard
   2. To change the icon of the app shortcut, tap on the image to the left of the app’s name; next, tap ‘Glyph’ and select the icon you wish the app shortcut to be represented by. When you’re happy with your changes, tap ‘Done’.
   3. To change the color of the app shortcut, tap on the image to the left of the app’s name; next, tap ‘Color’ and select the color you wish the icon to have. When you’re happy with your changes, tap ‘Done’.
9. Back on the ‘Details’ screen, tap ‘Add to Home Screen’
10. Next, tap ‘Add’ in the top-right corner
11. Repeat steps 1-10 for all apps whose icon you wish to change the color of

And there you have it! Eleven easy-to-follow steps to change the color and icon of any iOS app you want to change! If you have any other questions, or would like more information, please see our FAQs below.

FAQs

What does it look like when you change the colors of your iOS apps?

On an iOS device, unlike on an Android one, you actually have far greater control over what you can and can’t do when it comes to the customization of apps and their icons’ colors. When you change the color of your iOS apps, they can be all made to look completely uniform in their color palette. 

What’s most awesome is that these changes can be applied to all apps, not just those that come as default with the iOS device. This means you can change the color of Instagram’s app icon, just like you would the Camera app. 

There is one catch, however. In order to change the color of your iOS apps, you must also change the icon associated with them (known as the ‘glyph’). This is because most app manufacturers don’t want you messing with their branded logo. Nonetheless, this should be seen as just an additional and pretty cool customization step which gives you even greater control over how your phone looks and feels.

Why would I want to change the colors of my apps on iOS?

Let’s face it, the vast majority of those with smartphones are just about permanently glued to them. Now, whilst this isn’t necessarily a good thing, it is fact. Which is why it’s quite natural for iOS users to want to customize the look of their phone so that it feels more ‘them’. 

Changing the colors of apps on iOS is a great, easy, and totally original way of making your Apple smartphone or tablet look the way you want it to. It’s the same reason you’d paint your apartment or house a different color, change the decals on your car, or dye your hair: color is a language which we can all speak!

Can I change the colors of my iOS apps back to normal/default?

Of course you can. That’s the real beauty of modern technology, is it not? You get to customize and change the color of your iOS apps as often as you like, and can always change them back to default if you get fed up with your own personal style choices.

Can you change the appearance of all apps on an Android device?

Yes! Unlike on Android, iOS actually allows you to change the colors and icons of all apps, not just the basic ones (like Camera, Phone, Internet, Messages) which come with your phone.

Does this technique also work for changing Android app colors?

No. The technique for changing the colors of your apps on iOS is different to that used to change the colors of Android apps. The technique for changing Android app colors is in some ways more straightforward, in some ways more difficult. Luckily for you, we’ve made a tutorial for that, too!